The Hack That'll Make It So You Never Lose A Sock Around Your Laundry Machine
For all of those who have done laundry, there's no doubt a common thread that links a story of missing socks. Surely some folks may give you fantastical laundry myths of garment-thieving laundry gnomes or something far more sinister, but the truth is there are plenty of ways your socks can get lost in transition and become misplaced from each other. Luckily there's a simple pool noodle hack you can incorporate in your laundry room to keep from losing your socks during a laundry cycle.
Some ways your socks can become separated from the rest of your load could be that they get stuck in certain areas of your laundry appliances. In a top-loading washer, tiny socks can get jammed under the wash plate at the bottom of the tub or stuck in the agitator in the middle of the machine which moves the load of laundry during the cleaning cycle. In the case of over-loaded machines, socks can wind up within the walls between the inner and outer tub, which may take some tearing apart in order to get to. However, more than likely, your sneaky socks just fell into the empty void along the side or back of your washer and dryer or in between the appliances. The socks can slip through the cracks when you are first loading the machine or transitioning the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. Let's take a look at how you can fill this space to save socks from disappearing.
How to create a laundry room sock-stopper using a pool noodle
Nobody wants to reach down the side or back of a dusty dark washer and dryer to try and scramble to search for lost socks. Instead, you can easily tuck in an inexpensive pool noodle beside and behind your washer and dryer so that socks don't slip through the cracks. First, pick up a few pool noodles from your local dollar store. If your laundry appliances are kept in a smaller room then you can simply run the pool noodle along the side of your washer between it and the wall. The noodle should run parallel to the top of the washer and then slightly curve upwards as you get to the back of the machine. This way it seals off any escape route where a sock can slip by and get lost on the ground. To keep the noodle in place you can either move the washer so that it sandwiches the noodle between itself and the closest wall. Otherwise, you can attach the noodle using double-sided tape.
This hack can be used in between the washer and dryer as well as behind both machines so that you create space for clothes to reach the nether regions of these appliances. Not only is this a cheap and easy project that will eliminate the frustration of losing your socks but it also acts as a buffer if you have active machines that like to move around during a cycle.